Five Things you Shouldn't have Missed

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 8 December 2017

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THIS IS THE DESCRIPTION OF FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE MISSED FOR 8 DECEMBER.

 

1. 100PT SPLASH HEADING HERE

Cambridge News

Cambridge News accidentally published editorial instructions on its front cover this week, rather than an actual story. In what must be the ultimate proofing AND printing error, its headline read ‘100PT SPLASH HEADING HERE’, followed by ‘THIS IS A STRAP OVER TWO DECKS WITH A CROSS REFERENCE TO A PAGE HERE’. The paper’s editor-in-chief, David Bartlett, has apologised and said it’s unclear how it happened, but also blamed ‘a technical problem’.  It is very unusual for such a mistake to be missed in editorial proofing, final checks and checks at the printers, which makes the mistake all the more remarkable.

 

2. Time Person of the Year 2017

The Silence breakers

Time has named ‘The Silence Breakers’ as this year’s ‘Person’ of the Year. This group of people includes actress Ashely Judd, activist (and founder of the Me Too movement) Tarana Burke, and singer Taylor Swift. It heralds those that have spoken up about sexual harassment and assault, noting that this group of people has made it clear that such predatory behaviour can happen at any level of society and make victims of anyone. The light they’ve shone onto the issues has made it easier for others to come forward to talk about their own circumstances and experiences.

Twitter enjoyed the fact President Trump, who a couple of weeks back claimed he had been asked to be Time Person of the Year (in a tweet that quickly became a meme), was included by association – some of his accusers were part of The Silence Breakers.

 

3. Most tweeted tweets

most retweeted

Twitter has released the most popular tweets on the platform for 2017, measured by retweets. While Carter needing his nuggs took the top spot (and is the most retweeted tweet of all time), it is Barack Obama who has attracted the headlines for having three tweets on the list, while President Trump managed none. Ouch. Though once again, The Donald got onto the list by association – he was called a bum by LeBron James:

 

4. Top YouTubers

top youtuber 2017

Another social media ranking of 2017, Forbes announced the highest-earning YouTube stars of the year. Taking top spot is DanTDM, who last year didn’t even feature. Making a reported £12.3m this year, Dan Middleton makes gaming videos that have been watched billions of times. The full list also includes controversial star PewDiePie – who still holds the record for most subscribers – and six-year old Ryan, who opens and reviews toys. Ryan made £8.2m this year, and again: he’s six.

The total wealth of the top 10 is up 80% from 2016 as influencers cement themselves in marketers’ budgets. Only four of last year’s top 10 are on the list, highlighting the constant state of flux vlogging finds itself in, and the hard (and constant) works that’s needed to remain at the top.

There’s no place for UK giants Zoella or Alfie Deyes, who both post less frequently but do have a solid reputation for ‘influence’. Lifestyle in general is underrepresented in favour of gamers and ‘comedians’, suggesting the future areas that are likely to be biggest.

Though perhaps not TGFbro – the jackass-style channel which made headlines this week after one of them cemented his head inside a microwave. Watch the full excrutiating video here:

 

5. The best restaurant in London

Oobah Butler

The Shed At Dulwich – you’ve heard of it, right? London’s hottest restaurant, so exclusive that it seems almost impossible that anyone manages to eat there?

In what’s quite possibly the biggest PR stunt of the year, a Vice journalist – Oobah Butler – created a fake restaurant, fake food and encouraged his friends and family to leave fake reviews. Having previously taken freelance work writing fraudulent reviews for restaurants (for $13 a time), Oobah thought he could game the whole system and make success based on nothing. And he was right.

After months of rising through the rankings, The Shed At Dulwich eventually climbed to the top spot as number one restaurant in London – despite not existing. Throughout his time in the TripAdvisor rankings (his restaurant has now been removed), Oobah received dozens of booking requests, as well as unsolicited job applications from kitchen staff and free samples from suppliers.

Commenting on the story, TripAdvisor said:

‘Generally, the only people who create fake restaurant listings are journalists in misguided attempts to test us. As there is no incentive for anyone in the real world to create a fake restaurant it is not a problem we experience with our regular community – therefore this ‘test’ is not a real world example.’

Oobah thinks this explanation is ‘fair enough’, but serious questions should be raised about online review culture in the wake of The Shed At Dulwich.

 

Sneaky number 6. Brexit Deal

Brexit story

The UK has reached a breakthrough deal on the terms of its exit from the EU. It has been agreed that there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, that EU citizens have the right to remain in the UK and that there will be a divorce bill. Theresa May and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker met in Brussels this morning to sign off a progress report that will allow discussions to move onto the second phase.

 

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 8 December 2017

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including the Brexit deal that’s been reached, universities criticised by the National Audit Office and Momentum under investigation for election spending. 

Brexit deal reached
Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker announced this morning that a deal had been reached on ‘sufficient progress’, allowing the opening of trade negotiations subject to the approval of the European Council meeting on 14-15 December. The Times reports that May said that there would be no hard border in Ireland and that the Good Friday agreement would be honoured. The DUP claimed that it had obtained ‘substantial changes’ to the agreement it rejected earlier this week.

Universities criticised by National Audit Office
A new National Audit Office report has criticised universities, The Guardian reports. The NAO’s head has claimed that if universities were banks, they would be investigated for mis-selling. The report says that the Government needs to do more to help ‘vulnerable’ students make better course choices and provide better oversight of value for money.

Momentum under investigation for election spending
The Daily Telegraph says that Momentum, the Jeremy Corbyn supporting group, is to be investigated by the Electoral Commission, after it claimed to have spent just £39,000 on the general election campaign. A spokesperson for the campaign said that the investigation related ‘to a series of administrative errors that can easily be rectified.’

Boris Johnson to visit Iran for talks to free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Boris Johnson is to visit Iran this weekend, The Daily Telegraph reports. Talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Zarif are expected to cover Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe (the charity worker imprisoned the country), bilateral relation, wars in Yemen and Syria, and the Iranian nuclear deal.

Prince Charles admits lobbying Alex Salmond
According to an exclusive in The Guardian, Prince Charles has admitted to lobbying Alex Salmond to promote the charity Teach First. The Scottish Government had refused to release the papers in question, until the paper lodged an appeal with the Scottish information commissioner.

NHS emergency winter fund to be spent by end of month
The Times reports that the NHS will spend its £350m emergency winter fund by the end of the month because it has to overpay for drugs, with medicine wholesalers summoned to the Department of Health. Supply problems affecting at least 100 drugs have forced the NHS to approve temporary price rises of up to 4000%. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called for ‘a serious and open investigation’.

Corbyn to criticise tax avoidance in UN speech
Jeremy Corbyn is to highlight four main threats to humanity in a speech at the UN headquarters in New York today, according to The Guardian. These are concentrated wealth and power (exacerbated by tax avoidance), climate change, the refugee crisis and a ‘bomb first, think later’ approach to resolving conflicts.

Primark one of 260 under-paying employers
The Government has named 260 employers which paid staff less than the minimum wage, the Financial Times says. Among the firms named are the retailers Primark and Sports Direct, and the football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Minister Margot James said that there was ‘no excuse’.

 

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Tim Borrett

How Vuelio saved Bristol City Council time and money

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Working at the heart of the UK’s 7th largest Core City, Bristol City Council aims to play a leading role in driving a city of hope and aspiration where everyone can share in its success.This involves coordination with hundreds of stakeholders alongside the commissioning and delivery of hundreds of services which form the fabric of everyday life in the city.

We spoke to Tim Borrett, head of policy and strategy (interim), about his use of Vuelio and how it has benefited the whole team.

The team is a former ‘Public Sector Team of the Year’ (Chartered Institute of Public Relations South of England and Channel Islands PRide Awards 2015) and was recently recognised as ‘Outstanding In-house Public Relations Team’ (Chartered Institute of Public Relations South of England and Channel Islands PRide Awards 2017). With this success comes high expectations and Vuelio plays a vital role in helping the team to meet them; ensuring the efficient targeting, management and delivery of news content directly to stakeholders and on the council’s digital platforms.

Vuelio is also used to track key subjects across the council’s £1bn+ annual investment in the city, identify new influencers and provide a key strand of corporate resilience in case of emergencies that affect its ICT infrastructure.

The Challenge
Life before Vuelio presented several challenges, particularly in terms of providing a resilient and consistent system of content distribution and issues tracking. The council was undergoing much transformative change, resulting in risks around changes in ICT systems and practice alongside the potential loss of corporate memory as colleagues moved on from the organisation.

Practice was good but lacked coordination, with time lost inputting news content across several platforms and manually filing content across a multitude of user-created filing structures. Vuelio provided opportunity to coordinate this and provide a solid, stable base for all content and live logging of issues and progress.

The Solution
From the outset, Vuelio offered a good opportunity to achieve quick wins in terms of logging activity and providing an easier form of management oversight. Its intuitive system and at-a-glance dashboard were immediately attractive, and these were supported with a range of powerful features and potential in other parts of the platform.

It became clear that no one else was able to provide such a diverse range of functionality in a single platform

It became clear that no one else was able to provide such a diverse range of functionality in a single platform, from database management and identifying new contacts to distributing and publishing content, Vuelio presented a simple all-in-one product that could dramatically reduce time spent for users shifting between systems and duplicating tasks.

From a management perspective, the ability to procure once and manage a single contract rather than the potential for several made good sense, particularly given the value-for-money achieved by having a single supplier.

The system has provided a really solid base for our media relations and activity tracking, along with delivering efficiencies by giving us the power to publish online at the click of a button, saving us rebuilding news stories in a separate CMS.

Benefits and Results
Along with the time saved by using an all-in-one distribution and publishing system (valued at approx. £2k staff time p/a), Vuelio has really benefitted us by ensuring people are sighted on each other’s work – significantly reducing duplication in dealing with media enquiries and making sure the whole team are up-to-speed on key topics. Alongside this, Vuelio has provided stronger, more convenient management oversight of activity and a robust audit trail for activity.

Another major benefit has been the improved resilience so that, more than once, the team has been able to continue its work during internal system outages. This has been vital in reducing risk, making us more confident in our ability to operate in case of in-house system outage and ensuring elements of the team’s practice, including a 24/7 emergency on-call service, can be handled efficiently with staff having access to comprehensive, up-to-date information.

We are regularly able to identify new contacts to whom we can pitch relevant stories, helping us improve our reach beyond the city; something which is valuable as the city and its council continue to establish stronger national and global relationships.

Vuelio is as fundamental for our team as a smartphone or laptop.

 

Bristol City Council uses Vuelio Stakeholder Management and Online Media Centre. Read the full testimonial here, or find out how you can save time, achieve quick wins and thrive with Vuelio integrated services. 

Guardian news and media

The Guardian to relaunch in tabloid format

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Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief of Guardian News and Media, has revealed that the Guardian will be relaunched next year in tabloid format. Viner was speaking to Amol Rajan on BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show.

From 15 January, the paper will be ‘reinvented’ in the new tabloid format, and also printed in a new location – both changes will help the Guardian to ‘save a lot of money’.

Rajan pointed out that the Independent went tabloid 14 years ago and asked why it has taken the Guardian so long to follow suit. Viner explained that the change is to suit the ‘moment’, and that, as a publishing organisation, they needed to decide what print is for in a digital era. Viner believes being able to adapt and present something more ‘visual’ and ‘keepable’ is what will keep the Guardian relevant.

Media watchers will note that while the Independent did switch to tabloid format in 2003, the paper is now digital-only – unable to sustain a print product in this ‘moment’.

There is better news from other print publishers though, the i paper (which was sold by the Independent’s Evgeny Levedev in 2016 to Johnston Press) is now reporting profits of £1m a month. This is a much lighter paper though, and in more competition with the likes of The Evening Standard and Metro than the traditional broadsheets.

Viner refused to be pushed by Rajan on what would be ‘removed’ from the paper when it reduces in size explaining it will still include the ‘long read’ that it currently publishes, and the same amount of journalism.

Viner revealed the exclusive while discussing the split between the print and digital audiences at the Guardian. While 50% of revenues still come from print, the digital revenues are rising and Viner expects them to eventually take over the print revenues.

This may not be enough, as Viner discussed the collapsing ad revenue model and she agreed that Google and Facebook were too powerful and dominant – leaving no room for anyone else. This is particularly concerning when a majority of your audience is reading online, which is perhaps why Viner said there would be ‘no harm’ in a CMA investigation into the tech giants.

 

Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. The Vuelio Media Database lists a wealth of journalists, bloggers, influencers and media titles, please check it out.

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 7 December 2017

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including several Brexit issues, supporters of David Davis to oust May by Christmas and Hammond’s remarks. 

Brexit: 48 hours to agree deal
According to The Guardian, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has told member states that the UK has just 48 hours to agree to a text on a potential deal, or negotiations will not move on to the next stage. A DUP source told The Sun that there would be no deal on the Irish border this week, saying that ‘This is a battle of who blinks first, and we’ve cut off our eyelids.’ The Daily Telegraph adds that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has indicated his willingness to continue discussions into next week.
Brexit: Davis admits impact assessments don’t exist
The Financial Times reports that David Davis has avoided being censured for alleged contempt of parliament by the Brexit select committee, after admitting that ‘There’s no sort of systemic impact assessment.’ Critics have suggested that this contradicts statements made by him in the past. Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse said ‘Whether it is through incompetence or insincerity, David Davis has been misleading parliament from the start.’
Brexit: Article 50 extension amendment attracts Conservative rebels’ support
The Times says that as many as 24 Tory MPs are prepared to rebel against the Government next week, in support of an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill, allowing MPs to seek an extension to Article 50 negotiations if there is no satisfactory trade agreement by March 2019. Tory MP Anna Soubry and Labour MP Chukka Umunna have written an article for the paper supporting the amendment.
Supporters of David Davis plot to oust Theresa May ‘by Christmas’
An exclusive in The Sun claims that supporters of David Davis are plotting to out Theresa May as Prime Minister. His ally Andrew Mitchell is organising drinks evenings with Davis and the new generation of Tory MPs, whilst an ally said that May will ‘be gone by Christmas’.
Hammond causes a storm with remarks on defence, disability and Brexit
The Guardian reports that remarks made by Philip Hammond to the Treasury select committee have offended disabled groups, after he claimed that the UK’s low productivity could be attributed to disabled people in the workforce. The Daily Telegraph reported that the Chancellor said that Cabinet members still have not been allowed to discuss the end state of Brexit. The Times adds that Hammond told the committee he’d welcome a chance to discuss the defence budget with new Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson once Williamson had got ‘his head around the defence budget’.
Drug shortage causes patients to wait
The Times also reports that a shortage of drugs is causing patients with cancer and severe mental illness to go without essential medicines. The shortage has cost the NHS £180m in six months, with ministers now investigating fears that the market is being manipulated.
Labour Lords’ chief whip to stand down over expenses claims
Steve Bassam, Labour’s chief whip in the House of Lords is to stand down in early 2018, following questions about his expenses, The Guardian reports. He has offered to repay the claims in question, but insists that he has not breached parliamentary rules.
Gavin Williamson interviewed by the Mail
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has claimed that British citizens who fought for Islamic State should not be allowed to return to the country in an interview with the Daily Mail. He told the paper that ‘Quite simply, my view is a dead terrorist can’t cause any harm to Britain.’

 

 

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UK Government

PMQs: Theresa May’s word cloud – 6 December 2017

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At Prime Minister’s Questions Theresa May faced questions from MPs on Brexit, Ireland, infrastructure and universal credit. We present the word cloud for Theresa May’s answers at PMQs on 6 December 2017.

 

Theresa May

Brexit Negotiations
May was asked on numerous occasions for an update on talks with the EU. May said that the government is trying to ensure that it can build a country for the future and said it is on course to deliver. Brexit is a topic that Corbyn normally avoids at PMQs, but he picked up on comments made by Liam Fox that the Brexit talks will be the ‘easiest in human history’. She responded stating that very good progress has already been made.

Ireland
Corbyn described the Tory-DUP relationship as a ‘coalition of chaos’ and a ‘tail wagging dog’, claiming that the government forgot to share the details of its proposal on Ireland with the DUP. May said that no hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland will be in place, protecting the integrity of the UK. She exposed the divisions within Labour on Brexit, saying that the only hard border is ‘right down the middle of the Labour Party’. SNP Westminster Leader, Ian Blackford, said the Conservatives gave the DUP a veto of Brexit. May said there will be particular circumstances for Northern Ireland, but all parts of the UK will be consulted to ensure the right deal for all.

Israel
In regards to recent comments made by President Trump about moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Labour’s Ben Bradshaw raised suggested this would cause ‘grave damage’ to the prospects for a peace settlement. May says she is planning to speak to President Trump about the decision to move the US embassy. She also stressed, ‘we want to see negotiated settlement’ and a two-state solution, in which there is a ‘sovereign, viable Palestine’ and ‘a safe Israel’.

Universal Credit
Asked to ‘end the cruel requirement for people across the UK who don’t want to know they’re dying to self-certify on universal credit’, May said she’ll ask the work and pensions secretary to look at the issue. She also said the government is working on how universal credit is rolled out and how individual circumstances are dealt with.

Maggy Woodley

Blogger Spotlight: Maggy Woodley, Red Ted Art

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Maggy Woodley writes Red Tart Art, which recently took the number one spot in the Top 10 UK Craft Blogs. Covering family-friendly crafts that anyone could make, Red Tart Art aims to be both easy and fun. Maggy uses affordable materials and aims to teach kids new techniques and learn new skills. We spoke to Maggy about getting kids to do things in real life, keeping up with trends and working with PR.

Why did you start your blog?
I have always loved to craft and want to pass on my passion for crafting to others. In a world that is super busy and chaotic, I aim to support parents who would love their kids to craft more but don’t have the time to do so themselves. I am your adopted Crafting Auntie!

What’s your favourite craft – can you share the post?
It would be impossible for me to pick JUST ONE craft! As it is topical, I rather like this Paddington Bear!

How do you think physical crafts fit in a digital world?
As kids increasingly spend so much time in the digital world, it is great to get them OUT of that world and into real life – developing their fine motor skills and creating something of substance. You can get great inspiration online (be it from websites like mine, but also computer games and apps – lots of design stimulus there) and then incorporate it into real life things!

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How much do trends in crafts affect your blog?
Lots! As I try and engaged with a busy audience, it is important to make things relevant to them. If fidget spinners are in, fidget spinners we make. I do like to combine traditional crafts with current trends though, which gives kids a wide range of things to make.

What will the 2018 trend be?
Oooh I am not sure yet; I am keeping my ears very close to the ground to try and find out!

How do you like to work with PRs?
I love working with PRs, there are a number of crafts that I adore and have made in the past that I would not have come up with if it wasn’t for the challenges the PRs set me.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
I like to plan ahead, so the more time they can give me the better.

What’s your favourite craft brand/company/shop?
I buy a lot of my supplies from amazon, simply because it is convenient or from my local art shop (to support local shops), but generally the ‘big brands’ of crafts are ‘big’ for good reason, ie good quality. If you are using scissors, use 3M, if you are using glue, use pritt stick etc… they usually work much better than alternative brands.

What other blogs do you read?
Oooh there are so many at the moment! I love Make it Your Own, The Art Dream, I Heart Crafty Things, Hattifant, Box of Ideas, Fireflies and Mud Pies, The Craft Train, Left Brain Craft Brain, Babble Dabble Do… the list can go on and on…

 

Maggy Woodley and Red Ted Art are on the Vuelio Influencer Database, which is the UK’s leading influencer database available to the PR and communications industries.

Kids Craft Room

Blogger Spotlight: Emma Smith, Kids Craft Room

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Emma Smith is the author of Kids Craft Room, which recently appeared in the Top 10 UK Crafts Blogs. Emma’s blog focuses on child-centred activities to promote self-expression, self-esteem and creativity. We spoke to Emma about families and friends connecting, unicorns and working with PRs.

Why did you start your blog?
I started my blog as a creative outlet and to share easy tutorials with preschool children and parents I was working with at the time. I never dreamed that it would become my full-time job but here I am and I’m loving it!

What’s your favourite craft?
I couldn’t choose an all time favourite craft that I’ve done as each new idea gets my full attention and passion while I’m creating it! They are all my favourites!

What do you think the place of physical crafts is in a digital world?
In our busy digital lives, arts and crafts are a great way for families and friends to connect and relax. They’re a super way to unwind and get into the moment, and a fantastic creative outlet for everyone regardless of age.

Want to work with influencers? Try the Vuelio Media Database and get access to 11,000 UK Bloggers in crafts, parenting, lifestyle & more.

Get in touch

How much do trends in crafts affect your blog?
Trends don’t really affect my blog too much but seasons and holiday celebrations most certainly do. The last few weeks for example have all been about Christmas and then we’ll be moving on to winter and Valentine’s Day. Things don’t stand still for long.

What will the 2018 trend be?
I have no ideas what the trends for 2018 will be! This year unicorns have been huge but next year who knows? I’m not a keen guesser I’m afraid.

How do you like to work with PRs?
I’m totally happy for PRs to connect with me via email and love to chat through ideas with them so that I can come up with something super special for a client.

What’s your favourite craft brand/company/shop?
I love any store that sells nik-naks and odds and ends of craft materials. I love to rummage through and can’t resist the pull of pretty buttons, fabric or paper designs. I’m a bit of a hoarder!

What other blogs do you read?
One of my all time favourites is Red Ted Art. The lovely Maggy Woodley shares loads of creative ideas for kids and grown ups. I also really enjoy Crafts On Sea. Kate shares lovely and simple ideas for doing with preschoolers.

 

Emma Smith and Kids Craft Room are both on the Vuelio Influencer Database, which is the UK’s leading influencer database available to the PR and communications industries.

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 6 December 2017

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including pressure on Theresa May, the Chancellor’s MoD ban and MI5 foiling a plot to assassinate the PM. 

Growing Brexit pressure on Theresa May
The Guardian claims that Theresa May is facing ‘mounting pressure’ to secure a breakthrough in negotiations with the EU, after the DUP expressed shock at the handling of the border issue and Brexit-supporting Conservatives said that it was time to walk away from the talks. The paper also says that parliamentarians have criticised the tight security around access to the Brexit analyses, claiming that their content is ‘little more’ than what is already in the public domain.

 

Chancellor banned from using Ministry of Defence planes
The Times reports that the MoD has banned Chancellor Philip Hammond from using its planes, until the Treasury settles a bill of six figures, covering past flights. This comes as Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson prepares to fight the Treasury for up to £2bn per annum in extra funding for the armed forces.
MI5 foils plot to assassinate Theresa May
The Daily Telegraph says that MI5 has stopped a plot to assassinate Theresa May. Islamic extremists planned to use an improvised explosive device to blow up Downing Street’s gates, before entering No 10. Cabinet members were told of the plot yesterday by MI5’s head, and two men have been charged with terror offences.
Security services ‘missed vital clues’
The Daily Mail carries the news that clues were missed in the lead up to the attacks in Manchester, London Bridge and Westminster. A review to be published today claims that an investigation into the Manchester bomber Salman Abedi would have been opened ‘had its true significance been properly understood’.
Gig economy reforms to be delayed
According to The Guardian, reforms to the gig economy which would improve employment rights for 1.1m people are to be delayed until next year, amid concerns that they might be opposed by the right wing of the Conservative party. Matthew Taylor, who led the Government’s review of the gig economy, said ‘I would rather it was later and stronger rather than earlier and weaker.’
Highest reading standards for a generation
The Times says that improvements in reading standards by boys have put the UK joint eighth in the world in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study results, up from tenth in 2011. Schools minister Nick Gibb attributed the success to the use of phonics, which he said had been prevented from use by ‘dogmatic romanticism’ before 2010. However, the paper points out that phonics programmes were announced by Ed Balls in 2008.
Ministers threaten to change the law to force Channel 4 to leave London
The Government is planning to change the law in order to force Channel 4 to relocate away from London, if it won’t do so voluntarily, according to The Times. The broadcaster has claimed that moving would be ‘highly damaging’, but a Whitehall source told the paper that the firm’s new management had until the new year to agree.
Tory peer planning to move into home owned by offshore trust
The Mirror reveals that the Conservative peer Michelle Mone is planning to move into an £11m home owned by an offshore trust linked to her boyfriend, Doug Barrowman. The paper claims that he may have avoided around £1m in tax by using the trust rather than a company, leading Labour MP John Mann to say that ‘using a loophole like this isn’t acceptable.’

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Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 5 December 2017

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including the lack of Brexit deal, Philip Hammond’s army views and the abandoned ‘workers on boards’ plan. 

No Brexit deal yesterday
Despite expectations that Theresa May would secure a Brexit deal in Brussels yesterday, she has returned empty-handed. As the Financial Times puts it, her plan was ‘in effect blocked’ by Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP, over concerns about proposed ‘regulatory alignment’ between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The Sun suggests that the UK and the UK had also failed to reach agreement on the role of the ECJ in citizens’ rights.
Chancellor: army only needs 50,000 troops
The Sun, in an exclusive, reveals that Philip Hammond told the Prime Minister that the Army only needs 50,000 troops, which the paper claims would make it the smallest since the time of the French Revolution, as well as leaving it smaller than those of France, Italy, Spain and Germany. Conservative MP Johnny Mercer suggested that Hammond was ‘deluded’.
May’s pledge to put workers on boards abandoned
The Guardian reports that the Government appears to have abandoned Theresa May’s plans to put workers on boards. Proposals to be published today would not force firms to put workers on boards, instead giving them a choice in how they intend to listen to employees’ views.
Robert Halfon calls for earnings cap reduction
Robert Halfon, chair of the education select committee, has called for the earnings cap below which parents are eligible for 30 free hours a week of childcare for three- and four-years olds to be reduced, according to the Daily Mail. The money saved would be diverted to unemployed parents, currently only entitled to 15 hours.
Biggest rail fare increase for five years
The Telegraph has details of the largest rail fare increase for five years. From January 2, average ticket fare will go up by 3.4% – the largest increase since 2013. Passenger watchdog Transport Focus described the news as a ‘chill wind’ but the Rail Delivery Group said that over 97p in the pound was spent on running and improving the railway.
Former Metropolitan Police officers commended over Damian Green claims
Cressida Dick, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, has said that former police officers who have spoken publicly about allegations of pornographic material being found on the computer of Damian Green, now First Secretary of State, could be prosecuted, The Guardian reports. She said that she condemned what they had done, and that her professional standards department was reviewing it.
Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham Conservatives under investigation
The Times says that the Conservatives are investigating their Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham branch amid complaints about its deselection of six councillors, including the only black Conservative on Kensington and Chelsea council, and ‘autocratic’ leadership.
Adam Afriye being sued over discrimination claims
The Daily Mail reports that Conservative MP Adam Afriye is being sued over allegations that he discriminated against a disabled staff member. He has not commented on the allegations.

 

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Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 4 December 2017

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including Brexit, child and pensioner poverty and the NHS. 

Theresa May in crunch Brexit meeting
Theresa May is in Brussels today to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for crucial Brexit talks. The Irish cabinet will also meet this morning to discuss Brexit. The papers have varying assessments of May’s likely success. The Times claims that a deal is ’85-90 percent there’, the Financial Times says the UK and the EU are on the ‘brink’ of a deal, but according to The Daily Telegraph the Government is ‘highly pessimistic’ about its chances of success and may might ask for an extension.
Increase in child and pensioner poverty
The Guardian reports research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which found that almost 400,000 more children and 300,000 more pensioners in the UK were living in poverty than in 2012-13, in the first sustained increase in 20 years. The foundation blamed the increase on ‘political choices, wage stagnation and economic uncertainty’ and called for benefits to be unfreezed, training increased, and a more-ambitious house-building programme.
NHS to rule out more ‘poor-value’ treatments
The Times reports that the NHS is to rule out more poor-value treatments, as it comes under pressure to find more savings. The chief executive of NHS Clinical Commissioners told the paper that ‘There are a range of interventions that we shouldn’t be doing because they don’t work, […] We are now starting a piece of work to bring that all together and we hope there will be significant savings.’
Syrian aid programme suspended after allegations that it funded jihadis
The Guardian reports that a foreign aid scheme funded by the Government has been suspended following allegations to be made in a BBC Panorama documentary this evening. The scheme, intended to fund a civilian police force through a programme run by Adam Smith International, allegedly saw money being channelled to jihadi groups.
Social Mobility Commission chair who resigned was due to be replaced
The Daily Mail says that Alan Milburn, who quit as chairman of the Social Mobility Commission because he had ‘little hope’ May could deliver change had already been told that May planned to replace him. A Whitehall source said ‘Milburn was sacked and is now having a rant on his way out the door.’
Cabinet split over Damian Green’s future
The Times has details of a cabinet split over the future of Damian Green, the First Secretary of State. Apparently, May’s team of staff are also split, with her chief of staff Gavin Barwell wanting Green to resign, whilst her director of communications, Robbie Gibb thinks he should stay.
Funding for ‘mini nuclear power stations’ to be announced
The Government is expected to announce up to £100m of funding for small nuclear power stations this Thursday, says The Guardian. The competition to find the best value ‘small modular reactor’ has been delayed, leading to lobbying by firms.
Jeremy Hunt: social media sites should limit access by the young
The Daily Mail reports comments made by Health Secretary that social media sites should limit access by vulnerable youngsters. He said that sites should monitor whether young people are putting their mental health at risk by spending too much time online.

How can Vuelio political services can help you? 

Public relations santa

Are you on PR Santa’s Naughty or Nice list?

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As we approach the end of the year, have you been a good PR professional or will Father Christmas be filling your social media stocking with emoji coal?

There are certain PR bad habits that are easy to fall into, and now is the perfect time to identify whether you’re guilty of anything from the naughty list. After all, Christmas is just around the corner and it’s better to get into good habits now, before they have to become New Year’s resolutions.

PR Santa’s Naughty List:

  1. Mr Mass Emails
    Mr Mass Emails doesn’t have time to build relationships and he knows if he blasts enough contacts someone might run his story. This is lazy PR and only contributes to the bad reputation the industry can have among journalists. There’s a reason the Vuelio Media Database lists detailed biographies of influencers and what they’re actually after – use them.
  2. Mrs Follow Up
    There’s nothing wrong with talking to a journalist about a story or campaign you’re working on, but wait until they’ve reacted to your initial press release. Mrs Follow Up is straight on the phone to check her email has been received while attempting to push the journalist to publish. Of course, if the right relationships were in place, this wouldn’t be necessary.
  3. Miss Single Metric
    How are you measuring your, or your client’s, success? Miss Single Metric only choose one thing, sometimes it’s ‘reach’ and sometimes it’s AVE – either way she doesn’t give anyone the full picture because she believes that if the big numbers look good, then all the stakeholders will be happy. Vuelio Media Analysis allows you to present a multitude of measurements so you can prove your success how it matters most; to the people that care.
  4. Miss But Other Bloggers Work For Free
    Bloggers and social media influencers aren’t like journalists; for the professionals, this is their livelihood and they don’t get paid unless you pay them. Sure, some will work for free, but if you’re trying to work with the best, expect to pay. And don’t argue if they suggest you cough up – these guys are trying to make a living and deserve to be recompensed.
  5. Mr I Missed That Crisis
    If your monitoring isn’t up to scratch, across all channels, how are you supposed to manage crises and fire fight before the story gets out of control? Mr I Missed That Crisis is old school and only monitors print. As he doesn’t have a social media monitoring plan, he didn’t realise his brand was fast approaching headline news for all the wrong reasons.

PR Santa’s Nice List:

  1. Mrs I Make Time For You
    Journalists, editors, bloggers, clients and management are all made to feel just a little bit special by Mrs I Make Time For You. She knows that relationships, both internal and external, take time to build but she also knows that every second is worth it.
  2. Mr Deadline
    PR is busy, fast-paced and soon is never soon enough. Mr Deadline knows how to prioritise the deadlines of all his stakeholders using Vuelio Stakeholder Management. So, if it’s a media enquiry about a big story or a member of the public needing to be contacted, Mr Deadline knows which member of the team is dealing with it and when – all in one place.
  3. Miss Collaboration
    Miss Collaboration works with influencers. She knows which ones are best able to reach her audience and she even has budget to get them on board. But she doesn’t stop there – Miss Collaboration gets creative ideas from the influencers to ensure each iteration of the campaign is unique. She also pushes the bloggers to work hard and provide analytical data, which she can use to prove the campaign’s success.
  4. Miss Presentation
    Miss Presentation used to put PowerPoint presentations together after a campaign, and sometimes managed to fit more than four tweets on each slide. These were the dark days. Now, Miss Presentation uses Vuelio Canvas to gather all the relevant tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram pics, news stories, graphs and charts, so she can present everything beautifully – on one page and with one, shareable link.
  5. Mrs Shares
    Mrs Shares loves reading the PR Club post on the Vuelio Blog, and shares it on Twitter.

 

What bad habits are you going to drop this year, and what do you think PR pros should champion for 2018? Let us know in the comments below.

Nicole Williams

Blogger Spotlight: Nicole Williams, Nicole’s Journey

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Nicole Williams writes the blog Nicole’s Journey. Recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Mental Health Blogs, Nicole’s Journey covers mental health issues and wellbeing. We spoke to Nicole about how much writing helped her, the lack of mental health services in the UK and working with PRs who are interested in her blog.

How would you describe your blog?
I would describe my blog as how I see the world around me, through health, wellbeing, mindfulness, gratitude, the good days and the not so good days, each post documenting something I have learnt, something I am learning or something I wish I could have read when I needed it. My blog is my thoughts turned into words, sharing moments of my life, text and photographs I hope not only to make a difference to myself but to somebody else who might be where I am or once was.

Why did you start your blog?
When I was first diagnosed with anorexia, my sister suggested blogging as a way to document my journey and all I was going through, more so for myself than anybody else. I started with writing the positive days, trying desperately to see the light in what felt like only dark. Sure, this positivity helped but at the time there were more bad days than good, so I began to share these too.

I never could have imagined how writing would help me. When going through such a horrible time of my life, writing allowed me to let the thoughts I had out. From this, my friends and family began to understand more and could support me better. I also began to meet people; others who were going, or had been, through their own mental illnesses. This support was invaluable.

Overtime, my journey with blogging continued, sharing the ups and downs of my mental health and engaging with others too. After a little break in writing, I returned with Nicole’s Journey, being able to look at this part of my life, how much I have learnt and in ways I never could have imagined, fills me with gratitude.

What’s the biggest issue facing mental health in the UK today?
I honestly do not know where to begin, I am no expert but I guess the lack of mental health services. People who need support for their mental health cannot always afford to wait. Speaking from personal experience, having a mental illness on the bad days is made one hundred times worse when you are turned away from what should be care and support. It took me every inch of strength I had to ask for help, yet I was put on a five-month waiting list, and, in comparison to others, I was lucky. I cannot express how difficult this wait was for both myself and my family. Nobody should ever have to experience this, yet people do, every single day.

How do you think mental health awareness has changed in recent years?
There has been an increase of mental health awareness through everyday conversations, generating better understanding and knowledge. When I was a child, mental health was never spoken about and when it started to be it was only ever in a negative light. Of course, there is a long way to go but I think people having an initial awareness is such a positive change and one that can save somebody’s life.

What advice would you give someone who was struggling with their mental health?
Of course, this depends on the person and what they are experiencing, mental health is very individual and it is difficult to summarize one answer. I guess I would say to talk about it, to seek help and support, and to never give up hope.

How do you engage with your readers and community?
I adore engaging with my readers, from comments to private messages, I find the most engagement I have is done through Instagram messaging.

How do you like to work with PRs?
I enjoy engaging with PRs who are interested in my blog, who have taken the time to look a little and who share similar beliefs to me, and those who are respectful and considerate of my personal experiences. I like to have a clear idea of what it is they are hoping to achieve from working with me and what kind of things they would be interested in creating.

What one thing should brands or PRs know about you?
I will never share anything that I think could harm a person’s mental health. That sounds obvious, right? But you would be surprised how many times people expect me to share unhealthy factors of my mental health experiences.

What other blogs do you read?
I read a whole range of blogs, of the top of my head and recent browsing history: Time To Change’s Personal Stories, We’re All Mad Here, Girl, Interrupted, Bumble and Be, Mental Health Stories, Rich Biscuit, No Space For Milk – this list could go on!

 

Nicole Williams and Nicole’s Journey are both listed with detailed biographies on the Vuelio Influencer Database – the UK’s leading influencer database available to the PR and communications industries.

Britain and Europe

Vuelio Brexit Bulletin, 1 December 2017

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As the EU (Withdrawal) Bill continues to progress through the House of Commons, we bring you the latest news, developments and reaction in our Brexit Bulletin. As the next European summit is now just a fortnight away, it’s time to take stock and see whether the UK will be able to move on to discuss a transitional period and a trade agreement.

  • If stories in the media are to be believed, it seems likely that an agreement has been reached on the financial settlement, while suggestions that the Government might be able to make concessions to secure agreement on the Irish border have caused concern with their backers in the DUP.
  • The Government has released the Brexit impact assessments it has produced to the Exiting the European Committee. However, they have been criticised for omitting material and for not being substantial enough, and Brexit Secretary David Davis has been summoned before the committee.
  • In other news, the Chancellor has agreed £3bn more for Brexit implementation, net immigration has fallen since the referendum, the scale of the task facing the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has been unveiled, and David Davis has apparently threatened to resign if Damian Green is sacked.

 

Want to receive the full bulletin directly to your inbox? Sign up to Vuelio Political Updates here

Five Things You Shouldn’t Have Missed – 1 December 2017

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These week’s Five Things includes the biggest night of the blogging year, Trump’s tweets and Hopkins leaving the MailOnline. 

1. The Vuelio Blog Awards

Sarah Hall, Stephen Waddington, Sarah Stimson, PR
Sure, they were last Friday but they were so epic that they deserve top spot mention in this week’s Five Things. We awarded 14 bloggers with 15 awards – including Best UK Blog 2017 to Craig Landale from Menswear Style. The event is being hailed as a huge success, with guests amazed by the fire dancers, wowed by the aerial silk gymnasts and thrilled to meet their influencer friends and heroes. Check out the official photo gallery from the night, courtesy of our friends at Splento.

 

2. Trump’s tweets

Willrow Hood
Arguably deserving its own regular spot in Five Things, Donald Trump’s tweets were in the news again this week. After Trump retweeted three anti-Muslim videos posted by the deputy leader of far-right party Britain First, Theresa May publicly criticised him (along with other leading MPs and figures in the UK). This led to the sometimes-sensitive President to tweet the following:

The media had a field day, suggesting the ‘special relationship’ is now in danger of being lost at a time when the UK is about the leave the EU and needs all the external friends it can get. There are also mixed reports, following Trump’s actions this week, as to whether his State Visit will still go ahead.

 

3. Katie Hopkins leaves the MailOnline

Daily Mail
Katie Hopkins left her role of columnist at the MailOnline this week. According to a statement from the MailOnline, the right-wing commentator’s contract had not been renewed by ‘mutual consent’. The columnist is a professional controversist, famous for provoking outrage and causing offence – sometimes over accuracy and facts. After the announcement that her contract had not been renewed, she tweeted an apology the MailOnline  published to Jacqueline Teale, who was wrongly targeted by Hopkins in a column. The MailOnline paid ‘substantial damages and legal costs’ to Teale as part of the apology.

 

4. Buzzfeed cuts

Buzzfeed
Buzzfeed has announced cuts to its global workforce including editorial and business roles at Buzzfeed UK. Jonah Peretti, CEO, outlined the aims of the company and why the cuts were necessary in a memo to all staff. The site is struggling to improve profits, reflecting the fact that all digital publishers are currently facing an uphill struggle against the powerhouses of Google and Facebook, both of which still take the majority of digital ad spend.

 

5. Royal Wedding

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are to wed in Spring 2018.

 

Something we’ve missed? let us know on Twitter @Vuelio. 

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 1 December 2017

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including DUP’s Irish border deal warning, calls to cancel Trump’s visit and the £1bn care home funding gap. 

DUP in Irish border deal warning
The Financial Times says that the DUP has warned that if the Government treats Northern Ireland differently to the rest of the UK in Brexit negotiations, it will withdraw its support. However, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkhar is maintaining his instance on Northern Ireland remaining part of the EU customs union, and avoiding a hard border.

Calls to cancel Trump visit
The Times reports that President Trump is still expected to visit the UK in February in order to open the US embassy, despite criticism from MPs and other politicians, including Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn. However, The Daily Telegraph claims that US diplomats have ‘dropped plans’ for Trump’s visit and that it has been ‘pushed into the long grass’.

Warning over £1bn care home funding gap
According to the Financial Times, the UK’s care home sector has a £1bn annual funding gap. A report by the Competition and Markets found that the ‘current model of service provision cannot be sustained without additional public funding’. The Labour Party called for an end to cuts to local authorities, but the Government pointed to increases in social care spending.

Corbyn: ‘we’re a threat’ to banks
The Guardian reports Jeremy Corbyn’s response to a warning from investment bank Morgan Stanley that he poses just as much of a threat to business as Brexit. In a video, he said ‘So when they say we’re a threat, they’re right. We’re a threat to a damaging and failed system that’s rigged for the few.’

Damian Green faces ‘desperate fight’ to save job
In an exclusive, The Sun says that the Cabinet Office’s investigation into First Secretary of State Damian Green’s conduct ‘will say it is unclear whether he broke the ministerial code, which is a sackable offence.’ Having seen the initial findings, the paper claims that Downing Street has been working on ‘a desperate plan’ to save Green’s job.

Record migration fall after Brexit vote
The Times has details of the largest ever annual fall in net migration ever recorded. Overall net migration fell by 106,000 to 230,000 in the year after the vote to leave the EU. Immigration minister Brandon Lewis said, ‘With more Europeans continuing to arrive than leave, these figures show that claims of a ‘Brexodus’ are misguided.’

NHS patients to face treatment rationing and longer waits
Simon Stevens, the NHS England Chief Executive, has announced plans to ‘make taxpayers’ money go further’, drawing up a list of 36 conditions which don’t need treatment, and saying that new guidance expected from NICE could not be implemented without advance funding agreement. According to The Times, Government sources dismissed this as ‘grandstanding’.

Changes to ‘snooper’s charter’ see police lose powers
A series of changes to the ‘snooper’s charter’ will see senior police officers ‘lose the power to self-authorise access to personal phone and web browsing records’, The Guardian reports. A consultation paper published by the Home Office makes it clear that the changes, being made to comply with a European court ruling, will limit access to personal communications data by the police and other bodies to crimes with a prison sentence of six months or more. Labour’s Tom Watson said the proposals were ‘flawed’ and didn’t go far enough.

Learn more about how Vuelio political services can help you. 

Mike Douglas

Blogger Spotlight: Mike Douglas, Mike’s Open Journal

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Mike Douglas writes the Top 10 Mental Health Blog Mike’s Open Journal. The blog focuses on mental health, while covering a range of lifestyle topics such as health, fitness, relationships, sex and local events. We spoke to Mike about the stigma around mental health issues, the importance of sharing and working collaboratively with PRs.

Why did you start your blog?
I started to write about my experiences, thoughts and feelings because I needed an outlet. I was in a particularly bad place with my mental health. I could not see a way out of the darkness or how I could continue. Writing, and subsequently blogging, provided me with an opportunity to express my thoughts and feelings, which is something I have always struggled with. As a dyslexic male that may not be a surprise.

Over time I became more confident in talking and sharing my struggles. Sharing for the first time on Facebook was a massive step for me. Since then, I have continued to write about my mental health including how it has and does affect other aspects of my life.

What’s the biggest issue facing mental health in the UK today?
Stigma. Mental health illnesses are bad enough. But for many of us, we are highly affected by something that can be prevented. Stigma will continue to exist until there is better understanding of mental health, mental health illnesses, the support that is available and the language we use in our communities.

How do you think mental health awareness has changed in recent years?
Awareness has improved thanks to national campaigns from people like Mind, Rethink Mental Illness and Heads Together. This has been implemented by use of ‘well known’ spokespeople and Champions (such as Time to Change Champions).

What advice would you give someone who was struggling with their mental health?
Talk to someone. You don’t have to say everything, you don’t have to tell everyone, just find one or two people you are able to talk to.

It could be a friend, family member, a co-worker, a fellow student, or it could be support online available through places like Mind or Samaritans.

Samaritans are not just for emergencies!

How do you engage with your readers and community?
I have created links within my local community to increase my awareness of local events and opportunities. Make Facebook’s local events page your friend.

I love talking to other people about their experience with mental health, just sitting down and talking about our day, habits and our health is a beautiful thing to be able to do. I am fortunate enough to have had over 20 guests on my podcast to talk about their experiences and thoughts regarding mental health.

This can help to make more people aware of my blog and my guest.

Additionally, I have enjoyed attending a range of meet ups and event, meeting new bloggers (and even friends!). This is a great way to really engage with the ‘community’ and actually meet people you talk to online.

How do you like to work with PRs?
Having an open dialogue is great. Sometimes there will be paid opportunities, sometimes they’re not paid. I think that’s fine. By being aware of what opportunities there are you can make informed choices on what you would like to be involved in and what fits with your blog/readers.

If you want tips for working with PR check out Rhiannon Olivia, she has some great content for bloggers new to PR and collaborations.

What one thing should brands or PRs know about you?
I write honestly about my experience/thoughts, because of this there will likely be mention of mental health (specifically mine) within a post.

I enjoy finding out about new products, services and/or experiences. I like sharing.

What other blogs do you read?
I read other mental health blogs, usually because of my interest or relationship with the blogger. My favourite at the moment is Sophie Edwards. There are also a couple of cool people like Rhiannon Olivia, who write about blogging and provide tips and insight that are really helpful.

I enjoy writing (self-promo, haha) and reading about fitness, wrestling, sex and relationships too. Currently I am loving Hannah & Fitness, the occasional post from Emma Luxton and the lovely photos posted by Jordan.

Mike Douglas and his blog are both listed on the Vuelio Influencer Database, which is the UK’s leading influencer database available to the PR and communications industries.

5 Crucial Metrics to Track in Your Next Media Marketing Campaign

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The most tedious part of any media marketing campaign is arguably the most crucial part—analytics.

Sitting in front of the computer crunching numbers definitely isn’t for everyone. But think about it: without properly tracking your campaigns, how can you know whether you’re on the right path to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself? Or those that the business has set for you?

To help get you started measuring your media campaign, here are five of the most important metrics that are essential to your success.

 

1. Social Sentiment

Likes and hearts

Let’s start off with one of the metrics that’s a little bit more of a challenge to track as it’s more subjective than objective: social sentiment. This is essentially an assessment of how your brand is viewed by the general public (both by the media as well as individuals who have interacted with your brand).

The way to track social sentiment is by keeping records of all brand mentions across various channels: blogs, news aggregation websites, television and social media (this channel is especially important when tracking personal opinions, as people tend to express their true feelings about the companies they’ve interacted with on websites like Twitter and Facebook).

Once you’ve aggregated all the various mentions, you can categorise them as very positive, positive, negative, very negative or neutral. Vuelio automatically tags mentions with sentiment that can then be customised to the user’s specification. Over time, you’ll be able to see how the perception of your brand changes and is influenced by various marketing activities.

 

2. Engagement

social magnet

This metric is thankfully much more straightforward to measure – though the results can be harder to qualify.

Engagement is essentially an assessment of how much people interact with the different kinds of content you publish.

For instance, if you maintain a regular blog, engagement would be the number of comments, likes, and social shares each post receives. If you use radio, engagement could take the form of the number of people that call in after you run an ad.

 

3. Acquisition Channels

social media

This metric is closely tied in with engagement.

Once you’ve figured out how you want to track engagement, you can identify which channels are producing the most engagement. The ones that you will want to capitalise/spend the most money on are the channels that produce the most positive engagement.

When tracking your acquisition channels and prioritising one above the other though, don’t forget to take into account the value of each type of engagement. For instance, a social share on a blog post probably isn’t worth as much as a call in from a radio ad, as a call in is a sales lead – a genuine business outcome, where as a like or retweet is an almost passive interaction.

Thus, while a blog post with thousands of shares may get more engagements overall, a radio ad with only 5-10 call-ins could still be worth significantly more.

 

4. Reach

Crowd of people

This metric is more generalised  than the others on this list. Reach is essentially the span of your brand’s audience – it’s the potential number of eyeballs that are seeing the content your brand publishes. This metric often assumes a certain level of stats, as there is no guaranteed way to know how many people have actually seen something on a screen or printed page.

Also, some say that reach is a vanity number and doesn’t mean much in the big picture since it doesn’t take into account how many people are positively engaging with the brand.

After all, the brand that gets 10% of 10,000 viewers to engage (1000 engagements) is in a better position than the brand that gets 0.1% of 100,000 viewers (100 engagements).

Regardless, reach still plays a role in assessing the effectiveness of your marketing campaign, as it measures the kind of familiarity the general public has with your brand. While this may not directly translate into positive customer-brand interactions, it does help you understand the potential you have, to begin engaging with the people who are, to a certain extent, familiar with your brand.

 

5. ROI by Media Type

investments growing

All of the above metrics are significant indicators of the effectiveness and success of your marketing campaigns. But without doubt, there is only one king of all business analytics, and that is ROI: the money you’re making in profit for the money you invest.

At the end of the day, what you’re trying to do is make money. Thus, measuring the ROI of your campaign is by far the best way to determine whether or not you’re on track to achieve your end goal.

By splitting up your ROI tracking into each individual channel/media type, you’ll have a better understanding of which marketing activities are getting you the best bang for your buck. This can help focus your campaigns on what’s working, but be warned: not all ROI is easily identifiable and a multi-channel approach can still yield the best results.

Wrapping Up
Now that we’ve discussed the importance of marketing analytics and went through a few of the most important metrics to assess, you are ready to begin evaluating the successes and failures of your marketing.

If you’re reading to take your media monitoring to the next level, check out how Vuelio can help.

 

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Buzzfeed

Buzzfeed announces staff cuts

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In a memo to staff, Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti has announced cuts to staff as part of a reorganisation of the business. Around 100 jobs will go at the firm, including losses from the UK office.

Peretti’s memo highlighted changes in the UK: ‘we are realigning the organisation to focus on content for global audiences and our core U.K. News beats – investigations, politics, media, and social justice – and intend to make reductions across Buzz, Commercial, News, and Admin as a result.’

It is not yet known how many jobs will be cut from the UK workforce, though around 6% of the global staffing pool will go.

A further announcement revealed President Greg Coleman is returning to his former role as senior advisor after three years. He will not be directly replaced but the company is looking for a chief operating officer to ‘help lead in the many areas and opportunities we have for growth’.

Peretti also said the company continues to grow revenue, though Guido Fawkes has previously revealed the UK business lost £3.5m in 2016 and claims it is that, coupled with average salaries allegedly at £60,000, which is starting to take its toll on the business.

Buzzfeed’s planned public offering for 2018 was put on hold and, as the Wall Street Journal reported, it will miss its target revenue growth this year by 15-20%. Buzzfeed’s cuts follow ESPN’s announcement that 150 jobs would be cut as the business struggles.

While Buzzfeed is seen as a digital master in publishing circles, and its investigative journalism and listicles are making their mark on the UK’s media landscape, it is clear the perfect model for a large-scale digital outlet is yet to be found.

Buzzfeed is investing millions in video in the US, in an attempt to attract traditional TV advertisers, though with YouTube and the likes of Netflix and Amazon also presenting ‘new’ competition, this market is already crowded.

In a world where Google and Facebook continue to attract the lion’s share of digital ad spend, publishers will continue to feel the pinch and Buzzfeed is unlikely to be the last that is forced to make cuts.

 

The Vuelio Media Database will be updated to ensure the current staffing roster at Buzzfeed is accurate. 

Politics

Today’s Political Headlines – 30 November 2017

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A round-up of the latest political headlines, including the Trump’s twitter spat, the Irish border deal, May’s vision of the UK in the Middle East and Boris Johnson’s opinion that £50bn is worth paying for Brexit. 

President Trump in Twitter spat with Theresa May
Yesterday, US President Donald Trump shared a number of anti-Muslim videos posted on Twitter by the deputy leader of the far-right group Britain First. As The Times reports, this prompted criticism from Theresa May. Trump responded by tweeting that May should ‘focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom.’

UK ‘close to Irish border deal’
The Times claims that the UK and EU are close to reaching a deal on the Irish border, which could lead to the offer of a two-year transition deal as soon as January. The British Government is understood to have committed to work towards ‘avoiding regulatory divergence’ in Ireland by devolving a package of powers to Northern Ireland.

May outlines vision of the UK’s role in the Middle East
The Guardian says that May is to set out her vision for the UK’s Middle Eastern role today, as she completes her trip to the region. She will speak about the UK’s efforts against Islamic State and its wider help on economic and social reforms in a major speech in Jordan, in front of an audience which will include the country’s prime minister, Hani al-Mulki.

Boris Johnson: £50bn Brexit bill worth paying
The Daily Telegraph reports remarks by Boris Johnson, in which he said that a £50bn Brexit bill would be worth paying to get ‘the ship off the rocks’. He described the potential agreement on the financial settlement as ‘a fantastic opportunity now to get going’.

Government set to lose £800m on student loan sale
The Government will lose £800m on its latest privatisation of student loans, according to analysis by the Financial Times. The paper warns that this raises ‘questions over the valuation of tens of billions of pounds of remaining graduate debt.’ The Government refused to comment.

First year of school ‘a waste of time’ Ofsted warns
The Daily Mail has details of a new report by Ofsted, warning that the first year of school is a ‘false start’ for many children because basic reading and maths are not being taught well. As a result, children face ‘years of catching up’, with a third not having ‘essential knowledge’ when they move into Year One, rising to nearly half of disadvantaged children.

East Coast rail franchise ‘bailout’
According to The Guardian, Labour has accused the Government as using its new rail strategy as a ‘a total smokescreen’, as ‘the East Coast franchise has failed again and the taxpayer will bail it out.’ The strategy will lead to the termination of the franchise, held by Stagecoach and Virgin Group, three years early and its replacement by a new partnership model. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has denied that the franchise is being bailed out.

Plastic waste highlighted in Daily Mail campaign
The Daily Mail dedicated its front page to its campaign to reduce plastic waste. It announced that the volume of rubbish found on the country’s coasts had risen by 10% in the last year according to the Marine Conservation Society, whilst Iceland and the Co-op have joined calls for a deposit and return scheme for disposable bottles. The paper adds that there are ‘signs’ that Waitrose and Marks and Spencer are also ‘coming round to the idea’. The Government confirmed that it was launching a call for evidence on the scheme and would be working with industry to explore further reductions in single-use plastics.

Find out more about Vuelio political services.